New- TAG Heuer Monaco 24 Racing and Monaco Calibre 11 Silver

TAG Heuer will release a series of special edition Monaco models in 2011, the first two of which you see here: the Twenty Four Racing and the Monaco Calibre 11 Chronograph- twins in silver and orange.

The Monaco Twenty Four Racing is the first addition to the 24 series since the Gulf striped black model first shown in 2009, while the Calibre 11 Chronograph is a Heuer branded watch in the traditional case that follows the other Heuer-logo watches released in the last two years (the Blue 40th Anniversary Monaco of 2009 and the Grey Monaco Vintage of 2010).

Monaco Twenty Four Racing Calibre 36

The 24 Racing (Ref. CAL5112) is essentially a silver (or more accurately anthracite) dial version of the 24 Gulf, but in a stainless steel case.

The dial really is a beautiful colour and finish- the official press photos really don’t do it justice. It’s a much more subtle watch than the Gulf version and looks the better without the stripes on the dial. I’m still waiting for TAG Heuer to put out a Monaco 24 in the traditional McQueen Blue and White colours, and while it looks like we’ll have to wait another year, it’s great to see the range expanding. You can imagine that a special version of this watch will be released each year to maintain exclusivity.

As it says on the dial, the watch uses the Calibre 36 movement, the wonderful El Primero from Zenith. The party trick of this watch is the way that the dial and movement are suspended in the case- it’s something you’ll never get sick of looking at and is a great way of taking the Monaco look and style into the 21st century and away from being just an homage to the 1970s.

Price and Availability

There is no official word yet on how many of these will be made, but I suspect that like the Gulf version, this won’t be a Limited Edition but rather a model produced in limited numbers. The interesting point about the watch is that I understand it will only be available from TAG Heuer boutiques (at least in those markets that do have boutiques), which is an interesting development and a pretty clear signal that TAG Heuer will continue the path of providing exclusive models to their own boutiques.

Expect the Monaco 24 Racing in Q4 2011 with a price between CHF 12,000-15,000

Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Chronograph Silver

The second new model is the Silver and Orange Calibre 11 Chronograph, Ref. CAW211C. The watch uses the same 39mm traditional case from last years Grey Re-edition and like that model uses the traditional design cues- the use of the Heuer logo on the dial and the Calibre 11 movement with the crown on the left-hand side.

Calibre 11 was the name of the movement that powered the very first Monaco of 1969 and was the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. As I’ve pointed out before, today’s Calibre 11 movement bears no relation to the Chronomatic movement of the 1970s and is an ETA 2892/ 2 base with a Dubois Depraz Chronograph module. This is the same basic combination as the Calibre 12 found in the standard model, but rather than using the DD 2002 Chronograph module, it uses the upgraded 2022 module.

This is not the first Silver Monaco released, with the CW2112 of the early 2000s being the first in the modern era

Stretching back even further in time to the mid 1970s there was the Monaco 1533G- Heuer claimed that it was Grey, but to most people it’s more of a silver colour.

The watch features a darker silver dial with a black Chronograph hand and black tips on the hour and minute hands in addition the orange detailing on the hands and the hour markers.

I’m keen to see this watch in person to see how the colours work together- based on the press photo I’m not convinced that it’s an entirely successful combination of colours- I would have preferred a subtle Orange chronograph hand with plain stainless steel hands and normal lume dots.

Pricing and Availability

Like the Monaco 24 Racing, the Silver and Orange Monaco Calibre 11 Chronograph will be available in Q4 2011- and again, I understand that it will only be available from TAG Heuer boutiques. Expect a price around CHF7000.

I believe that this watch will be a Limited Edition- no word on final numbers yet.

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